Can anyone tell me how to trim them without having to do each individual one? I usually top and tail a few together and try to remove the stringy bits,but I find it time consuming. Needless to say,my daughter always ends up choking on the stringy bits and these are her favourite veg.

Why don't you buy them ready prepared? Aren't they de-stringed then? I never buy them myself - not keen.

I can never find them prepared or de-stringed.
They are just a very frustrating vegetable.If we didn't find them so tasty,I wouldn't bother.

Must admit goldie I've only seen them ready prepared with baby corn - another veg I'm not keen on. Sorry I can't help sweet - maybe you could bribe someone to do it for you?

You can line them all up in little piles and chop a load at once - this works for green benas anyway so I'm sure it'll be the same. I usually don't bother and just eat the whole thing. Tell your daughter to chew.

if the mangetout are fresh they shouldn't be stringy so they don't need topping and tailing

How can you tell if they're fresh or not Spadge1 because I always go off smell and the feel of them.Maybe I should pop one in my mouth,but I always feel cheeky doing this.
Oh well,at the end of the day,maybe we should stick to cabbage and carrots

You can tell if mange-tout are fresh by snapping one. If they are fresh they will SNAP crisply, if they are a bit limp - forget it. You could also grow your own if you have a garden, they are readily available as seeds and grow, virtually, untended.

if they are fresh they are crisp and firm. never buy any that look wilted or off colour. i usually buy them in a pack so can't snap them so i prod them to feel how firm they are.

I love mangetout...and agree with Spadge.

They are so lovely all crispy and green, which is how I buy them..I go by the look of them..I just shove them in a pan and cook them and don't really do anything else..but maybe I have just been lucky....and haven't found any horrible ones yet.

(What's the betting the next lot I buy are awful!!)

Welcome Spadge by the way....I see you are newish here...*shakes Spadges hand*

Thanks Brie *shakes Brie's hand*

Oh...reading back..maybe the ones I buy are ready prepared..I don't know...I never buy them loose, just in a pack...and they are always crisp and lovely...?

Okay...Brie is absolutely no help at all again....

*makes note to self to read whole thread before answering*

even when they are in a pack they still don't need topping and tailing, mangetoute is French and means 'eat all' (that's the literall translation) so you shouldn't have to do anything with them except wash them and blanch for a couple of minutes and they are then ready to eat.

the name mange tout literally means 'eat all' there for if they're fresh they shouldn't need any preparation.